California-based specialist provider of secure and managed portable storage, authentication, and trusted virtual computing solutions for mobile workers, IronKey will soon be launching a new EMEA partner programme.

The programme will be scaled through a two-tier distribution model: the distribution and the reseller community. Resellers are split into three categories - the Elite Solution Provider, the Elite Partner and the Authorised category - based on the number of technically certified scales and revenues, as well as on their knowledge and experience in delivering services and security specialties that they have in house.

"With respect to EMEA, where we started about a year and a half ago, we had a partner kick-off meeting last week where we had about 30 different partners show up across all various different European countries," VP Channel Marketing from IronKey, May Mitchell (left) tells IT Europa. "The new partner programme we're launching is consistent with what we have in the Americas and in the ecosystem, it's really centred around strategic alliances."

So IronKey is working with a few that are leaders in their own category, whether in their infrastructure, their security or virtualisation - companies like RSA, EMC or McAfee for instance, with whom they're going to co-develop solutions together and then go to market through their common distributors and partners. Then there are some technology vendors that may be in the security space and want to make sure their solution is tested and interoperable with the IronKey solution. Then come the distributors (such as Simms in the UK, Hermitage in France and throughout Europe, Internet-Security in Swizerland or TLK in Germany).

And finally there's the lead status that "would be the top-tier type of partners that we're trying to attract", which is comprised of two types: the Lead Solution Providers, providing a service or a compete solution for the customers and working with their strategic alliances and technology partners, having as well sales and technical expertise, and targeting the enterprise-type of customers; and the Lead Partners, having customers in the mid-tier or enterprise but primarily providing the IronKey product.

"We're getting more strategic," continues Mitchell, "but we're also simplifying the partner programme and making sure that the partners are protected, in terms of margins, and also in terms of the deal registration that we have - so if the partner finds a new opportunity within a big account, we want him to focus on selling the enterprise version since that includes new revenue streams in terms of management model, and then they get additional points."

IronKey covers all the EMEA countries but is looking to be very structured and focused on some key strategic regions, those being France, Benelux, the Scandinavian territories, the UK and the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). "In each of them, we have selected exclusive distributors, and then we work with distribution to recruit the different tier partners," explains Sophie Pellissier, Director EMEA Marketing at IronKey. "Having said that we've clearly got distribution in all the other territories as well, and we're there to support our partners, but they will have to take more of a lead."

Across EMEA, IronKey is looking for 10 to 15 Solutions Provider, and then between 30 and 40 of the second-tier. "But having said that, clearly anybody who wants to buy our solution will source," says Pellissier.

"The problem we have in EMEA is that customers have not really adapted a customer strategy in terms of removable storage, so because there aren't any corporate standards, they're utilising various different security devices to do the data protection," continues Mitchell. "We actually started out in the government, and this is why this device is so secure, we had to go through all sorts of different levels of certification. Then we branched out to the commercial world, so we have a lot of customers in healthcare, pharmaceutical, financial, higher education (Harvard, MIT, research departments have a need for protecting their IP), large energy companies... "

"And so having this solution that has been adopted as a trusted solution, we just need to get the word out there," continues Pellissier. "Well-established in the DACH regions thanks to stronger regulations and standards, other territories such as France and the Benelux need to be more educated in terms of the value they can get from IronKey."

And Mitchell to conclude: "This year is all about targeted recruitment, partner enablement and going deep investing in them, it's really about execution." From a technology standpoint solutions, IronKey is also going to start providing business critical applications on their device, such as a financial package soon to be launched in the United States.

www.ironkey.com